USA > Massachusetts > History of the Military company of the Massachusetts, now called the Ancient and honorable artillery company of Massachusetts. 1637-1888, Vol. II > Part 15
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The following-named members of the Company are given in the Record Book as " Artillery soldiers under the fine of 6/ per diem for non-appearance " : -
Nathaniel Barber, Jr. (1758), James Bennett (1756), Seth Blodgett (1756), Daniel Boyer (1756), Richard Boylston (1758), Benjamin Brown, Jr. (1756), Edward Carnes (1755), Thomas Carnes (1754), Christopher Clark (1759), Jonas Clark (1756), Thomas Deering (1758), John Deming (1756), Benjamin Dolbeare (1756), John Downe (1758), Samuel Dyer (1755), John Forsyth (1755), Joseph Gale, Jr. (1759), Daniel Gookin (1751), John Head (1757), Thomas Hubbard (1751), William Hyslop (1755), Edward Jackson (1758), Robert Jenkins, 3d (1756), John Leverett (1750), Nathaniel Loring (1758), Edward Lyde (1758), Thomas Newman (1750), Moses Peck (1758), Henry Perkins (1755), Samuel Simpson (1759), John Soley (1757), Thomas Symmes (1758), Samuel Torrey, Jr. (1752), Francis Whitman (1755).
The above list was made out probably in 1759-60.
The officers of the Artillery Company elected in 1760 were : William 1 700. Taylor (1738), captain ; Onesiphorus Tilestone (1747), lieutenant ; Josiah Waters (1747), ensign. Samuel Dyer (1755) was first sergeant; Samuel Barrett (1755), second sergeant ; Benjamin Phillips (1755), third sergeant ; Benjamin Brown, Jr. (1756), fourth sergeant, and John Edwards (1747), clerk.
The 20th day of March, 1760, is memorable in the annals of Boston. On that day, about two o'clock in the morning, a fire broke out in the dwelling-house of Mrs. Mary Jackson and son, "at the sign of the Brazen Head, in Cornhill," now Washington Street, about opposite the present Williams Court. The fire extended to the wharves, consuming nearly four hundred buildings, half of them dwelling-houses, and turning a thousand people from their homes. The loss was about one hundred thousand pounds sterling. In the News-Letter is given a list of the persons burnt out, in which appear the names of the following members of the Artillery Company : Upper part of Water Street - dwelling-house of Isaac Cazneau (1744). In Quaker Lane - William Hyslop
1 Drake's Hist. of Roxbury, 1878.
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HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT AND
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(1755), Sampson Salter (1729). Towards Oliver's Dock - David Spear (1758), William Baker (1745), Daniel Henchman (1712). In Mackerel Lane (Kilby Street) - Benjamin Phillips' store (1755), John Osborn, Jr. (1764). The lower part of Water Street - William Torrey (1765), Col. Thwing (1761), John Fullerton (1768), Joseph Webb, Jr. (1761). Milk Street and Batterymarch - Benj. Cobb, father of Benj., Jr. (1787), Benj. Hallowell (1733), and all the buildings on Col. Wendell's (1733) Wharf. A large amount of donations was received from both Europe and America, and Col. John Phillips (1725) was chairman of the committee for their distribution. At the time of this fire there were twelve firewards, of whom three were members of the Artillery Company, viz., John Phillips (1725), Joseph Jackson (1738), and Newman Greenough (1740).
At the May session of the General Court, an Act was passed for "the better rebuilding of Boston," and the Court enacted " that no house or other building whatso- ever more than seven feet in height shall be erected in Boston, otherwise than of stone or brick, and covered with slate or tiles."
Francis Bernard, the newly-appointed governor, successor of Gov. Pownall, arrived in Boston, Aug. 3, 1760. He was received with great parade by the militia, under com- mand of Brig .- Gen. Isaac Royall (1750), and by prominent gentlemen of the town.
The members of the Artillery Company recruited in 1760 were : William Dawes, Benjamin Edes, Jacob Holland, Moses Pitcher, Andrew Symmes, Jr.
William Dawes (1760), tailor, of Boston, son of Thomas and Sarah (Story) Dawes and grandson of Lieut. Ambrose Dawes (1674), was born in Boston, Oct. 2, 1719. Thomas Dawes lived on Sudbury Street, and was by trade a mason and builder, a trade which his nephew, Col. Thomas (1754), followed. Lieut. William Dawes (1760) resided on Ann Street, corner of Scottow's Alley, and his tailor's shop was on Salt Lane, which ran "from Bowes' corner, in Union Street, east to Mill Creek." March 16, 1747, he petitioned the town for liberty to build a shop on the town's land at the head of the dock, and a committee was appointed to consider the request. On March 28, the com- mittee reported denying the request, " the persons in general that live thereabout object- ing to the same."
He married, (1) about 1742, Lydia Boone, daughter of Nicholas, the noted book- seller of Boston. She died in 1760, having borne nine children, and Aug. 27, 1764, Lieut. William (1760) married (2) Hannah Gair, a widow, and daughter of Samuel Jackson (1733). She died June 13, 1810.
Soon after the death of his first wife, having disposed of some of his property, he moved to Marlboro and settled on a farm which he had purchased. After a few years' absence he returned to Boston, and at first kept a grocer's store, but afterward, in part- nership with his nephew, William Homes, Jr. (1766), he was engaged as a goldsmith. Their place of business was on Ann (now North) Street, where Oak Hall stands. At this time his family lived in the rooms over their shop. We are told that " his apprentices were among the party who threw the tea overboard in Boston Harbor. The daughters of the family sat up for them ; and when they came in, the rims of their hats, which were turned up a little, were loaded with tea, which the young women vigorously shook into the fire."
William Dawes (1760) remained in Boston during the siege. His silver and valu-
William Dawes (1760). AUTHORITIES: Bos- Paul Revere, by Henry W. Holland; Hill's Hist. of Old South Church.
ton Records; William Dawes, Jr., and his ride with
IOI
HONORABLE ARTILLERY COMPANY.
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ables were concealed in the cellar, and they remained there until after the evacuation. During the last two years of his life he was totally blind. He was first sergeant of the Artillery Company in 1766, and served as a juryman for the Inferior Court, Sept. 29, 1770. He joined the Old South Church Feb. 8, 1735, his sisters Rebecca and Abigail joining also upon the same day.
He died Nov. 14, 1802, and was buried in the " Chapel Ground," " three years after the death of his patriot son," William, Jr. (1768), leaving his wife Hannah and several children. The house on Ann Street, valued at six thousand pounds, he gave to his wife during her life, and after her decease to his daughters Ruth and Sarah. The rest of his property, real and personal, he gave to his children. He had by his first wife, Hannah, who married John Lucas (1786), Lydia, who married Lieut. John Coolidge (1786), and William (1768), "who rode with Paul Revere," and six other children. Besides the above-named son and sons-in-law, the following-named relatives of William (1760) were members of the Artillery Company : Benjamin Goldthwait (1740), who married his (William's) niece, Sarah Dawes, and their son Benjamin (1793), who married William's .. (1760) granddaughter ; William Homes (1747), who married William's (1760) sister Rebecca, and their son, William, Jr. (1766) ; Josiah Waters (1747), who married William's (1760) sister Abigail, and their son, Col. Josiah Waters, Jr. (1769) ; William Moor (1749), son of William's (1760) sister Mary ; Col. Thomas Dawes (1754), son of Thomas, who was a brother of William (1760), and Capt. Joseph Pierce (1769), who married Ann Dawes, sister of Col. Thomas (1754).
Benjamin Edes (1760), printer, of Boston, son of Peter and Esther (Hall) Edes, of Charlestown, was born Oct. 14, 1732. He moved to Boston, and married in 1754 Martha Starr, by whom he had ten children. He learned the printer's trade, and in 1755 associated himself with John Gill in the publication of the Boston Gasette, of which Mr. Edes (1760) was editor for forty-three years. They began the printing business in " the second house west of the Court House," and later occupied the printing house of Samuel Kneeland. They printed pamphlets, and for several years were the printers for the General Court. Benjamin Edes (1760) was always to be found associated with the lead- ing spirits of the Revolution in all measures taken by the people of Boston against the oppressive acts of Parliament, and those sent hither to enforce them. When Boston was being closed by the British, Mr. Edes (1760) made his escape in the night, taking with him in a boat both press and type. He settled in Watertown, continued to issue the Gazette, and was printer for the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts. In 1776, on the evacuation of Boston by the British, he returned to Boston, the former partnership was dissolved, and he continued in business alone. In 1779, he formed a partnership with his two sons, Benjamin and Peter, which continued for three years, when Peter set up in business for himself, and Benjamin, Jr., established a newspaper in Haverhill. Ben- jamin Edes (1760), on his return to Boston in 1776, occupied a house in Cornhill (Washington Street), and some years before his death he moved into his own house on Temple Street, having obtained a room " over a tin-plate worker's shop in Kilby Street," for a printing office.
Over the printing office, etc., of Edes and Gill, on the south side of Court Street, was
Benjamin Edes (1760). AUTHORITIES : Bos- Old Landmarks of Boston; New Eng. Hist. and ton Records; Thomas's Hist. of Printing; Drake's Gen. Reg., 1862, 1865.
+
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HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT AND
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the meeting-place of the Long-Room Club, of which Samuel Adams was the head, and the leading patriots of the Revolution were members.
March 16, 1757, the selectmen agreed that Edes (1760) and Gill should have the printing of the town votes, a large share of which fell to their lot for many years. At the same time the selectmen informed him that it has been their disposition " to encourage persons industrious in their business, and you in particular, by giving you a full share of the Town's printing, we now deliver you this vote of the town to print, but at the same time inform you, that you have printed such pamphlets and such things in your news- papers as grossly reflect upon the received religious principles of this people, which is very offensive, and complaints have been made to us by some of the inhabitants con- cerning said pamphlets and papers, we therefore now inform you if you go on printing things of this nature you must expect no more favours from us."
To which Mr. Edes (1760) answered to the following effect : "That he was sorry he had given occasion to any persons to be offended at what he had printed, but that he would take more care for the future, and publish nothing that shall give any uneasiness to any persons whatever."
Benjamin Edes (1760) was first sergeant of the Artillery Company in 1765, and served as a captain in the militia.
He died in Boston, Dec. 11, 1803. An obituary notice of him appeared in the columns of the Independent Chronicle on the 19th of the same month. Gordon, in his " History of the American Revolution " (Vol. I., p. 175, London Ed., 1788), mentions Benjamin Edes (1760) in his list of persons, who, on the 14th of August, 1765, sus- pended from the branches of Liberty Tree an effigy, representing Andrew Oliver, the stamp distributor, and a huge boot (typical of the Earl of Bute), with the devil emerging from it, holding the Stamp Act in his hand.
Jacob Holland (1760), currier, of Boston. He was chosen a sealer of leather at Boston in 1775, 1776, and 1777, and warden in 1781. His name is not given in the Directory of Boston for 1789. He was a lieutenant in the militia.
Moses Pitcher (1760), glazier, of Boston. In 1757, he had wife, Mary. He united with the Old South Church, June 8, 1760, and was third sergeant of the Artillery Com- pany in 1764. The selectmen directed Mr. Nath. Brown, Oct. 28, 1761, to deliver unto Mr. Moses Pitcher (1760) "all the sashes saved from Faneuil Hall Market at the late fire," and April 27, 1767, the selectmen agreed that Mr. Pitcher (1760) should have the glaziers' work in repairing the school-house on the Common.
Moses Pitcher (1760) received Masonic degrees in the First Lodge, in Boston, May 3, 1762, and is recorded several times as present in the St. John's Grand Lodge. He attended the installation of M. W. John Rowe as grand master, Nov. 23, 1768.
In 1776, William Cooper, clerk, entered a complaint against “ Moses Pitcher [1760], glazier," for breach of a resolve of the General Court of Massachusetts, passed July 10, of that year. The resolve warned all soldiers of the training band and alarm lists to appear on the Common for the purpose of raising there from by enlistment or draft "one out of every twenty-five." Moses Pitcher (1760), a soldier in the train-band, failed to appear and was fined ten pounds.
Moses Pitcher (1760). AUTHORITIES: Boston Records; Early Masonic Records; New Eng. Hist. and Gen. Reg., 1880.
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HONORABLE ARTILLERY COMPANY.
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He was a loyalist, and sailed from Boston with the English in 1776, and died in Halifax in 1817.
Andrew Symmes, Jr. (1760), merchant, of Boston, son of Andrew (1734) and Hannah Symmes, was born in Boston, March 19, 1735. He married Lydia -
Andrew Symmes, Jr. (1760), was chosen a warden in Boston, April 8, 1774, and was elected one of the census takers in 1776. He was very active in town affairs : serving as fireward, 1778-82 ; a member of the Committee on Correspondence, Safety, and Inspec- tion, 1779-80 ; was on committees in 1780 and 1782 to superintend the filling of Boston's quota in the Continental Army, by draft or otherwise, and to see that the patriotic resolves of the Assembly were carried into effect.
Mr. Symmes (1760) was long identified with the militia, and, prior to the close of the Revolution, had attained the grade of colonel. In 1784, he was appointed aid-de- camp, with the rank of colonel, on the staff of Gov. John Hancock. He was reappointed from 1787 to 1790 inclusive. He was second sergeant of the Artillery Company in 1764.
Andrew Symmes, Jr. (1760), died on Sunday, April 9, 1797, aged sixty-two years, " a man of strict honor and integrity, and a lover of God and his country." 1
The record of the Artillery Company for 1760 is as follows :-
"April 11th. 1760. Friday. (Last Monday being foul weather). The Company being under Arms, it was Voted, That the Rev. Mr. Josiah Sherman of Woburn be desired to preach the next Artillery Election Sermon ; and that the present commission officers, with Capt Newman Greenough [1740], be a committee to wait on him and desire the same.
Attest : JOHN EDWARDS. Clerk.
" May 5th. 1760 The Company being under Arms, Col John Phillips [1725], being one of the Committee to wait on the Rev. Mr. Josiah Sherman, to desire him to preach the next Artillery Election Sermon, reported that he had accepted. The Evening being spent at Sergt Emmes [1757]; Voted, That twenty pounds, lawful money, be paid by the Treasurer to the Commission Officers towards defraying the charge of the Election Dinner, & the Company to dine with them. Voted, That the Commission Officers wait on Brigadier Brattle [1729] to inform him that the Company desires he would lead the Company the ensuing year. Voted, That Capt Newman Greenough [1740] and Mr. Daniel Jones [1754] be joined to the committee for examining the list of the Company, & to talk with the delinquent members relating to their absence. Voted, That if any member break off from the Company without leave from the Com- manding Officer, he shall pay a fine of twelve shillings.
" Attest : JOHN EDWARDS. Clerk.
" June 2'd. 1760. The Company being under Arms, it was Voted, That the present Commission Officers wait on the Rev. Mr. Josiah Sherman and return him the thanks of this Company for his Sermon preached this day.2
" Attest : JOHN EDWARDS, Clerk.
Andrew Symmes, Jr. (1760). AUTHORITY : Boston Records.
1 Columbian Centinel, April 12, 1797.
2 " Monday last being the Anniversary for the Election of Officers of the Ancient and Honourable Artillery Company; after a Sermon suitable to the Occasion, preached by the Rev. Mr. Josiah Sherman
of Woburn; the said Company made choice of William Taylor Esq; [1738] for their Captain; Captain Onesiphorus Tileston [1747] Lieutenant; and Lieutenant Josiah Waters [1747], Ensign, for the present year." - Boston Newspaper, June 9, 1760.
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HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT AND
"September Ist. 1760. The evening being spent at Lieut Tilestone's [1747] it was there Voted, That those Gentlemen, who have had the honour to receive the badges as Captain of this Company, may continue their names on the Clerk's book, and be called every muster day, if they think fit, and not be subject to a fine for non-appearance.
" October 6th. 1760. The Evening being spent at Ensign Waters' [1747], it was then Voted, That there be a Committee, consisting of five members, to consider of some method for the advantage and unity of the Company. Voted, That John Phillips, Esq. [1725], Mr. Nathaniel Loring [1758], Mr. John Deming [1756], Capt Thomas Savage [1739], & Capt Newman Greenough [1740] be of this committee. Voted, That every member of the Company shall come on every training day, for the future, with his Cartouch Box filled with cartridges full of powder ; and for neglect of the same shall pay to the Clerk a fine of one shilling. Attest : JOHN EDWARDS, Clerk."
Rev. Josiah Sherman, of Woburn, delivered the Artillery election sermon of 1760. He was a son of William Sherman ; was born at Watertown, April 2, 1729 ; graduated at Nassau Hall, Princeton, N. J., in 1754; studied theology with Rev. Dr. Bellamy, of Bethlehem, Conn., and with Rev. Mr. Graham, of Southbury, and was ordained at Woburn, Jan. 28, 1756. He was a brother of Hon. Roger Sherman, a signer of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and of Rev. Nathaniel Sherman, of Bedford, Mass.
He married, Jan. 24, 1757, Martha, daughter of Hon. James Minot, of Concord, and they had five children, of whom the eldest, Roger Minot (Yale Col., 1794), became a judge on the Supreme Bench of Connecticut.
After a pastorate in Woburn of about twenty years, Mr. Sherman was dismissed at his own request, April 11, 1775. From Woburn he went to Milford, Conn., and in 1781 removed to, and was installed at, Goshen, Conn. He remained there seven years, then resided for a time in Sheffield, Mass., but having received an invitation to settle over the church and society in Woodbridge, Conn., he accepted, but died shortly after his arrival there, Nov. 24, 1789.
Rev. Mr. Sherman was considered a very eloquent preacher. " His elocution was very distinct, tho' fluent and rapid. His voice was excellent. His mind was discrim- inating. His eloquence was often pathetic, sometimes very powerful, and always of such a character as to command the respect and attention of his audience."
170I. The officers of the Artillery Company elected in 1761 were : John Symmes (1733), captain; William Homes (1747), lieutenant ; Thomas Dawes (1754), ensign. Samuel Ridgeway, Jr. (1756), was first sergeant ; William Murray (1758), second sergeant ; Benjamin Dolbeare (1756), third sergeant ; Robert Jenkins, tertius (1756), fourth sergeant, and John Edwards (1747), clerk.
In 1761, a committee reported to the town that it was necessary that Faneuil Hall should be repaired, and suggested that the roof be slated, the window-frames of stone, and the ornaments, with as little wood-work as possible, the expense to be paid by a lottery. Proposals were received from masons, carpenters, and others, and the repairing
Rev. Josiah Sherman. AUTHORITIES: Sewall's Hist. of Woburn; Sprague's Annals of American Pulpit.
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was begun before the summer ended. The hall was reopened, with an address by James Otis, Jr., March 14, 1763. In 1766, the contractors complained that they had not been paid. A committee, appointed Sept. 18, 1765, gathered the bills of indebtedness on account of said repairs, and reported in March, 1766. The following-named members of the Company were engaged in this work, and the amounts due them are given : -
Onesiphorus Tilestone [1747] £1,287 6s. 2d.
Thomas Dawes [1754] -
337 14 9
Josiah Waters [1747]
170 0 7
Moses Pitcher [1760] .
130 10 4
Timothy Thornton [1765] 32 14 8
being about two thirds of the total indebtedness for repairs.
In 1761, the officers of the Boston regiment were : John Phillips (1725), colonel ; Joseph Jackson (1738), lieut .- colonel, and John Symmes (1733), major. Of the eleven captains, there were : Newman Greenough (1740), David Jenkins (1758), William Taylor (1738), Thomas Marshall (1761), Onesiphorus Tilestone (1747), James Cunningham (1758), William Homes (1747), Jonathan Cary (1740), John Leverett (1750) ; John Gore (1743), captain-lieutenant ; Thomas Dawes (1754), captain-lieutenant and adjutant. Of the thirteen lieutenants, there were : Benjamin Andrews (1754), Daniel Jones (1754), Richard Boynton (1759), Daniel Bell (1733), William Phillips (1762), Jeremiah Stimp- son (1761), Josiah Waters (1747), Martin Gay (1761), Samuel Ballard (1755). Of the ensigns, there were : William Bordman (1758), William Murray (1758), Samuel Ridge- way, Jr. (1756), John Haskins (1768), Samuel Barrett (1755), Benjamin Phillips (1755), Sanderson West (1761), Thomas Adams (1765), Zephaniah Hartt (1765).
Soon after the establishment of the Cadets, and "Train of Artillery," a company was formed among the students in Harvard College. They applied to Gov. Hutchinson for arms, but, as they were mostly opposed to the mother country, he reluctantly yielded to their request, and avoided, as long as possible, to sign an order for their delivery. These young heroes, not discouraged, procured wooden guns, and were reviewed (using them) while the Superior Court was in session at Cambridge, by the judges, etc. This corps was suspended during the Revolution, revived during the administration of Gov. Gerry, and abolished by President Quincy.
The institution of the Cadets and "Train Artillery" probably served to lessen admissions into the Artillery Company, and as the latter had been declining - a coni- mittee was chosen, which reported on the April field-day of 1761, two resolutions, given on page 110. These resolutions produced the desired effect ; for upon comparing the roster of the Boston regiment in 1770 with the roll, we find that of the forty-four com- missioned officers of the regiment, including the " Train of Artillery," every officer, field, platoon, or staff, excepting one lieutenant and five ensigns, were members of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. 1
The members of the Artillery Company recruited in 1761 were : James Cunning- ham, Martin Gay, Thomas Marshall, Jeremiah Stimpson, Nathaniel Thwing, John Webb, Jr., Joseph Webb, Jr., Sanderson West.
James Cunningham (1761), painter, of Boston, son of William and Elizabeth (Wheeler) Cunningham, was born in Boston, April 24, 1721. He married, June 4,
James Cunningham (1761). AUTHORITY : 1 Whitman's Hist. A. and II. A. Company, Ed. Boston Records. 1842, p. 310.
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1742, Elizabeth Boylston, daughter of Peter Boylston. Their sons, Capt. William and Major Andrew Cunningham, joined the Artillery Company in 1786. Mr. Cunningham (1761) married, (2) Jan. 19, 1773, Martha Challoner, who shared his home in Dedham, and died a few months before her husband.
Major James Cunningham (1761) was identified with the Boston militia for many years, and, passing through the various offices, became major of the Boston regiment in 1767, and held that office until 1772. He was lieutenant of the Artillery Company in 1764, and its captain in 1768. He was one of the firewards of the town four years, 1765-8, and, with the selectmen and justices, visited the public schools, July 6, 1768, and July 5, 1769. The town records seem to prove that at about the opening of the Revolutionary War he moved to Dedham, and there spent the remainder of his life.
He died at Dedham June 5, 1795, aged seventy-four years, and his wife, Martha, died at the same place April 1, 1794.
Andrew Cunningham, who came to Boston from Scotland in 1684, had four sons, Andrew2, William?, David?, and Nathaniel2. Andrew2 joined the Artillery Company in 1720, and his brother, Nathaniel, joined the same year. Major James3 (1761) and Capt. William3 (1765) were sons of William2, and nephews of Capt. Andrew2 (1720) and of Capt. Nathaniel2 (1720). James3 (1761), who first joined the Artillery Company in 1758, was the father of William4 (1786) and Major Andrew4 (1786).
Martin Gay (1761), brass founder, of Boston, son of Rev. Ebenezer Gay, D. D., of Hingham, who delivered the Artillery election sermon in 1728, was born in Hingham, Dec. 29, 1726. He married, (1) Dec. 13, 1750, Mary Pinckney, and, (2) about 1770, Ruth Atkins, who died Sept. 10, 1810. Mr. Whitman (1810) says, in his History of the Artillery Company, 2d ed., p. 310, " I had frequent opportunities to hear him converse. It was not for want of love for his country that he became a Tory, but, having large property and fearing the ability to resist with success the power of the mother country, were the causes of his adopting that side, as many of the most considerate men in the country did from like motives. The period has arrived when we can look back, and with candor attribute, to inany of that class, good motives for their conduct. He secretly wished for his country's success. His latter days were spent in retirement, and the pleasures of the family circle, in which he appeared amiable and happy." He was lieutenant of the Artillery Company in 1770, and its captain in 1772.
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